System and method for presenting pricing information for online travel products and services
The disclosure pertains to a computer-implemented method for presenting search results for airfares. One or more processors prompt a user to enter travel criteria for airfares on a calendar start interface to identify (i) the point of departure and (ii) the destination. The processor(s) display a sequenced calendar interface including a departure calendar, which includes a plurality of departure dates, each of which include pricing information indicating a lowest price roundtrip fare available on that departure date between the point of departure and the destination. A return calendar is displayed that includes a plurality of return dates that span multiple weeks, each of the plurality of return dates being displayed with pricing information indicating a lowest price roundtrip fare that departs on the selected departure date and returns on that return date.
1. A computer-implemented method for presenting search results for airfares, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) prompting, by one or more processors, a user to enter travel criteria for airfares on a calendar start interface;
(b) receiving user input that identifies (i) the point of departure and (ii) the destination;
(c) in response to said received user input, displaying, by said one or more processors, a sequenced calendar interface; said sequenced calendar interface including a departure calendar, the departure calendar including a plurality of departure dates, each of the plurality of departure dates including pricing information indicating a lowest price roundtrip fare available on that departure date as between the point of departure and the destination;
(d) selecting, via said one or more processors, one of the individual departure dates from the departure calendar;
(e) in response to said user selecting one of the departure dates, displaying by one or more processors, a return calendar, said return calendar including a plurality of return dates that span multiple weeks, each of the plurality of return dates being displayed with pricing information indicating a lowest price roundtrip fare that departs on the selected departure date and returns on that return date;
wherein the pricing information for at least one or more of the plurality of return dates is different than the pricing information of other return dates in the plurality of return dates; and
wherein at least one of the individual return dates in the plurality of return dates includes the lowest price roundtrip fare indicated as being available on the selected departure date as between the point of departure and the destination.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of steps (c) and (e) include retrieving a search result for the roundtrip fares from a cached source.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (c) includes retrieving a search result for the roundtrip fare from a cached source, and step (e) includes performing a live search for a search result that identifies the pricing information for one or more of the return dates.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing steps (c) and (e) include (f) determining whether a search for pricing information and availability of the route specified by the input has been previously performed and cached.